Brazilian Archbishop says candidate’s stance on life must be priority

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jul 23, 2004 / 12:00 am (CNA).- Archbishop Dadeus Grings of Porto Alegre, Brazil, issued a pastoral letter this week exhorting Catholics not to vote for candidates who support abortion and denouncing candidates who take advantage of the “people’s needs.”

In his letter, published just days after a Federal court legalized abortion for babies suffering from anencephaly, the Archbishop explained, “There are various factors in deciding whom to vote for. In terms of local elections, where it is easier for everyone to know each other, these factors are more easily understood and applied. In terms of one’s ideology, for us the most fundamental factor is one’s stance on life.”

“During the first years of Christianity, there were three sins considered the most serious and which required public repentance: murder, adultery and apostasy,” said the Archbishop, adding that “today the issue of murder involves abortion, euthanasia, and all violence in society.”

“In other words,” he continued, “the first factor in determining one’s vote is the position that the candidate takes on the value of the human person.”

Likewise, referring to how candidates act, the Archbishop warned that “many candidates, in spite of the laws, continue taking advantage of the needs of the people in order to obtain votes. Because of this we can barely say we live in a democracy.”

“The Church is not a party, she does not favor any one party or candidate,” he added, saying that for this reason “no party can claim the title of Catholic or Christian.”